Traditional communication services of controlled-environment facilities (such as correctional facilities) include allowing residents (e.g., inmates) to place outbound telephone calls to non-residents of the controlled-environment facility. However, residents of controlled-environment facilities are typically restricted from unauthorized communications with other residents of the controlled-environment facility or other controlled-environment facilities. For example, in correctional facilities, inmates are typically prohibited from unauthorized communications with another inmate of the correctional facility or another correctional facility. Thus, many controlled-environment facilities implement systems that aim to prevent communications to unauthorized individuals.
One system that may be used, for example, in the context of telecommunications systems, may implement an account for each resident of the controlled-environment facility. The account for each resident may be associated with the resident's name and personal identification number (PIN), a financial account for payment of communications, and various biometric indications, such as sample voice recordings, for ensuring that the person using the account for communications is the resident identified with the account. A resident, once enrolled in the account, can then access the account for communications, such as telephone calls.
The account can have a list of allowed and/or un-allowed numbers or individuals that the resident may call. This restriction may seek to prevent communications by the resident to unauthorized individuals. However, some residents may circumvent this restriction by calling an allowed number or individual where an unauthorized individual is conferenced into the call, such as by a three-way call or by a telecommunications bridge. In other instances, some residents may circumvent the restriction by dialing an allowed number that then forwards the call to an unauthorized individual. Hence, a resident of a controlled-environment facility may communicate with another resident of the same or different controlled-environment facility, which can be an unauthorized communication.